Browsing by Author "Leask, Marilyn"

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    Building on-line communities for teachers: Ideas emerging from research
    (Routledge, 2001) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn
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    CPD, knowledge services and research
    (Routledge, 2020-11-26) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn; Audain, Jon; Preston, Christina; Procter, Richard
    Teachers CPD – an international problem The absence of a strong publicly stated knowledge base allows the misconception to continue that any smart person can teach. (Fullan, 1993 p. 111) There is the need to strengthen the connection between teachers’ practice and educational research, whereby the latter informs professional practice. This requires the development of a coherent strategy for teachers to engage with educational research, which can be achieved through teachers’ continuing professional development. This argument has been reinforced by recommendations in an OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) examination of educational R&D in England (OECD, 2002) and internationally (OECD, 2009). According to OECD TALIS research (2009), no country has a good solution for the provision of up-to-date continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers. For the purposes of this chapter we identify four main purposes of CPD: 1 CPD initiated by government for whole sector change 2 CPD provided by subject associations 3 CPD initiated by schools for within school change and 4 CPD self-directed: initiated by the individual teacher for personal professional development.
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    Creating European synergy: the European SchoolNet multimedia project
    (2001) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn
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    Developing your vision
    (Routledge, 2020-11-26) Hudson, Brian; Leask, Marilyn; Younie, Sarah
    Chapter 3 has been designed to help you to clarify the principles which follow from your values. Through this chapter we explore choices and potential consequences of your choices. The intention of these chapters is to challenge you to be explicit about the values and priorities which underpin your choices. National leadership is a challenging task – there are competing priorities, diverse viewpoints to be reconciled, resource allocation decisions to be made. It can be easy within the day-to-day pressures of the political environment to lose sight of the fact that decisions taken at the national leadership level embody the values that will educate the citizens responsible for the society of tomorrow. Consider Kerslake’s analysis here: In his introduction to the UK2070 Commission Report (2019), Lord Kerslake asserts that deep-rooted regional inequalities across the UK demand “long term thinking and a special economic plan to tackle them”. The report concludes that inequalities are exacerbated by “underpowered ‘pea-shooter’ and ‘sticking-plaster’ policies”. A case is made for future policy to be “structural, generational, interlocking and at scale”. Within advanced economies poverty and inequality have emerged as political flash points (G-7 summit, Biarritz, 2019). We start this chapter with three premises with which may or may not fit with your values: • that a nation’s education service provides the foundation for development of a society: that a government creates, shapes or denies, opportunities for society’s development, economic prosperity and citizens’ wellbeing through its leader ship of the national education service • that civil unrest is a threat to democracies as governments rule by popular mandate and that the chance of civil unrest can be minimised through an education service overtly supporting values of community and social cohesion, tolerance of difference and advancement on merit • that high quality motivated teachers are the single most important factor in improving educational outcomes and that system stability with managed change, innovative CPD using 21st century technologies together with stake holder consensus is most likely to achieve this. For the UK, the BREXIT issues divided society. A new focus on education, based on explicit shared values focused on shaping the society of tomorrow, may bring the opportunity to energise communities and bring them together. Other fractured societies may consider how consultation on the values and principles for a national education system and service could help overcome similar challenges.
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    The development and embedding of new knowledge and practice in a profession.
    (De Montfort University, 1998) Leask, Marilyn
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    Education England
    (Routledge, 2020-11-26) Younie, Sarah; Hudson, Brian; Leask, Marilyn
    The problem addressed in this chapter concerns the number of changes to the education system that have occurred, meaning that: Reforms to the English education system are unsustainable and have left it “unknowable” “unmanageable” and in its current form “unfixable”. . . These problems may be invisible to policy makers. (Whalley and Greenway, Chapter 5) British society is at a cross-roads. At the time of writing it is uncertain whether the ‘United Kingdom’ will survive because of the BREXIT divisions. Independence movements in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland are growing. The ‘post-war’ cross-party consensus on how to run our parliamentary democracy and the shared vision of achieving a meritocratic society through free education to degree level, free healthcare at the time of need and high quality council housing for those on low incomes and legal aid to allow citizens redress through the courts, has been shattered. The heavily cross-referenced Wikipedia entry1 on the United Kingdom’s Austerity Programme starting in 2010 makes grim reading with references to over a quarter of a million early deaths2 and with financial cutbacks principally affecting the living standards of disabled people, children, women and particularly women of colour. This is mentioned here as many teachers work in the poorer communities which have felt the burden of cutbacks acutely. Class divisions and wealth Education England inequalities are sharp and a rising tide of discontent has been provoked through policies such as tuition fees, elitism entrenched through spurious league tables of schools and universities, privatisation of council housing and policies which have led to charitable food banks becoming widespread. There is widespread dissatisfaction with the provision of education, from 0–18 years, with concerns being expressed by all political and professional stakeholders apart from the government in office. In June 2019 the Public Accounts Committee identified the Department for Education as topping a list of “concern”. In her Annual Report to Parliament, Committee Chair, Meg Hillier MP, highlighted the “lack of grip” over the academies’ system, a lack of transparency and the DfE and Ofsted’s failure to “take up the baton” over funding squeezes. (Whalley and Greenway, Chapter 5). The Confederation of British Industries say the curriculum is too narrow (CBI, 2010a, 2010b, 2012), Teacher recruitment goals are not met by the DFE and retention is poor; their own research shows over 20% of new teachers leave the profession within the first two years of teaching, and 33% leave within their first five years (DFE, 2019). An education system that is described as “unknowable”, “unmanageable” and in its current form “unfixable” (Whalley and Greenway, Chapter 5) cannot be called a system. The chaos that has ensued from a plethora of radical reforms in England since 2010 has led to this book in which the intention is to support better policy making by making explicit the options that policy makers face and the potential positive and negative consequences of their choices (see Chapter 20). In this chapter we examine a way out of the chaos in the current English education system.
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    Education For All In Times of Crisis - Lessons from Covid-19
    (Routledge, 2021-09-28) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn
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    Education in emergencies
    (Routledge, 2020-11-26) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn; Hall, Stephen
    Closing of schools had different consequences for different stakeholders – parents, teachers, pupils – and brought into sharp relief inequalities in societies: children who had personal internet connected devices were able to continue their education at home where their teachers moved swiftly to teaching online. Other children from poorer families or with special needs simply missed out (UNESCO 2020), or were disadvantaged through inequalities in provision. This chapter provides an analysis of early lessons emerging from this situation of a global pandemic – the most significant of which was, how well prepared was the schooling system for times of crisis and managing continuity of learning when school closures, the need for which was anticipated in national and international pandemic planning (WHO 2005), were called for? We argue that such planning is an essential prerequisite for robust education system design particularly, given that virologists predict that epidemics and pandemics will continue to occur periodically as new viruses emerge: recent examples being Ebola, SARS, MERS, Swine Flu, measles and HIV. Pandemic planning is one of the responsibilities of governments, and guidance from WHO (2005) and the European Commission (ECDC 2006; EC 2009a, 2009b; NZ 2011, 2020), referenced in what follows, outlines good practice. Planning for the continuance of education is recommended as one element of national plans with consideration of interdependencies between sectors being essential in pandemic planning. As an example of a failure to plan for a pandemic appropriately, in England, education pandemic plans had not been updated for over a decade (DES 2006; DCSF 2008). The outdated plans were not fit for new structures in the education sector, following a change of government in 2010, which led to the diminishing of local education authorities. In addition, in 2010 all the government funded (for England) online educational resources – lesson plans, resources and teaching advice – had been mothballed by the incoming government (Blamires 2015; Younie and Leask 2019).
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    Education System Design: Foundations, Policy Options and Consequences
    (Routledge, 2020-11-27) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn; Hudson, Brian
    This book highlights decisions governments have to make about their public education systems, the options they have before them and the consequences of their decisions. As well as covering issues such as values, curriculum, teacher training, structures and so on, the book addresses education planning for epidemics, pandemics and disasters. Education systems provide the foundations for the future wellbeing of every society, yet existing systems are a point of global concern. Education System Design is a response to debates in developing and developed countries about the characteristics of a high-quality national education service. It questions what makes a successful system of education. With chapters that draw on experience in education systems around the world, each one considers an element of a national education service and its role in providing a coherent and connected set of structures to ensure good education for all members of society. Key topics include: Existing education systems and what a future system might look like Inclusion and social justice Leadership and teacher education Policy options, and the consequences of policy changes This book suggests an education system be viewed as an ecosystem with inter-dependencies between many different components needing to be considered when change is contemplated. It is a vital book for any stakeholders in educational systems including students, teachers and senior leaders. It would be particularly useful to policy makers and those implementing policy changes.
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    Implementing learning platforms in schools and universities: lessons from England and Wales
    (Taylor & Francis, 2013) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn
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    An invitation: research and development for self-improving education systems
    (Emerald, 2016) Davis, G.; Leask, Marilyn; Noakes, J.; Rafferty, R.; Younie, Sarah
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    Learning to Teach in the Secondary School: A Companion to School Experience.
    (Routledge, 2022-07-29) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn; Capel, Susan; Hidson, Elizabeth; Lawrence, Julia
    For all undergraduate, postgraduate and school-based routes to qualified teacher status, Learning to Teach in the Secondary School is an essential introduction to the key skills and knowledge needed to become a secondary teacher. Underpinned by evidence-informed practice and focusing on what you need to know to thrive in the classroom, the eighth edition is fully updated in light of changes in the field, covers new topics and provides additional guidance on topics such as developing your resilience, using digital technologies, closing the achievement gap and using data to inform your teaching and pupil learning. The text includes a wealth of examples and tasks to demonstrate how to successfully apply theory to practice and how to critically reflect on and analyse your practice to maximise pupil learning. The wide range of pedagogical features supports both school- and university-based work up to Masters level. Written by experts in the field, the 37 concise units create unit-by-unit coverage that can be dipped into, offering guidance on all aspects of learning to teach including: Managing your workload Lesson planning Curriculum Motivating pupils Promoting behaviour for learning Assessment, marking and feedback Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) Applying for jobs, developing as a professional and networking Learning to Teach in the Secondary School provides practical help and guidance for many of the situations and potential challenges you are faced with in school. The text is extended by a companion website that includes additional information as well as specific units covering England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Supported by the subject-specific titles in the Learning to Teach Subjects in the Secondary School Series, it is an essential purchase for every aspiring secondary school teacher.
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    Mobilising Knowledge through Global Partnerships to Support Research-informed Teaching: Five Models for Translational Research
    (Taylor and Francis, 2018-09-13) Younie, Sarah; Audain, J.; Eloff, Irma; Leask, Marilyn; Procter, Richard; Shelton, Chris
    Improving the quality of teaching is of global concern: UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4c in the Education 2030: Framework for Action calls for high quality teaching for all. The OECD challenges the education system to improve Knowledge Management. JET’s (2015) special issue: Translational Research (TR) and Knowledge Mobilisation in Teacher Education introduced the concept of ‘translational’ or ‘theory to practice’ research - well-established in medicine but not in education. Five TR models were subsequently developed by the MESH charity’s international network with organisations in South Africa, Bangladesh, Australia, Pakistan, UK. These distinct models engage 1) university staff and teachers 2) subject associations, 3) research units, 4) an international NGO working in crisis settings, 5) PhD tutors and students. Each model shares common features forming the MESH Translational Research methodology introduced in this article. A TR repository is part of the MESH knowledge mobilisation strategy giving teachers access to research summaries which, overtime, accumulate knowledge. TR publications called MESHGuides (www.meshguides.org) complement existing forms of publication. This article proposes the MESH TR methodology as one affordable and scalable solution to OECD and UNESCO’s challenges of keeping teachers up-to-date and making new knowledge accessible to teachers regardless of location.
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    Policy options and consequences
    (Routledge, 2020-11-26) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn; Hudson, Brian
    Education systems provide the foundations for the future wellbeing of every society. In addition, teaching is the one profession that makes all other professions possible. The rhetoric that there is a simple solution to ensuring a national education service and system that delivers a world-class education for all is entrancing. Younie and Leask (2019a) The international context for this book is the ongoing preoccupation of governments to improve their education systems and the lack of publications on education system design, as mentioned in the preface. Internationally, UNESCO’s new Sustainable Development Goals challenge developed and developing countries to provide high-quality education for all children by 2030. Additionally, international measurements of the effectiveness of school education systems such as the OECD, PISA and TIMSS benchmarks have created a highly competitive environment between the countries involved. There is a danger that such measures, which are naturally limited in scope, lead to unintended consequences as politicians opt to adopt quick fixes so that they are seen by the electorate to be improving the country’s place in the international league tables. It is important to guard against this. This book suggests an education system be viewed as an ecosystem with interdependencies between many different components needing to be considered when change is contemplated. This will lead to a more in-depth and nuanced understanding of the complexity when developing education policy. England, a cautionary tale: England is used as a case study in a number of chapters as it presents a system which has become an extreme outlier among developed nations. The context for England is that many of the initiatives and changes introduced by the current government are considered not to be working by Parliament’s own regulatory bodies. In England, the education system was opened up to a free market early in the 21st century, and chaos of provision has ensued together with a crisis of teacher recruitment and retention (DfE, 2019b). This has led to a parental and political backlash and the main opposition party, the Labour Party, promoting the concept of a National Education Service as the model for the system of the future. This is an extreme example of a society going around in circles. In 1833, the MP for Wigan brought the first documented proposals before Parliament to establish a National Education Service. Many subsequent Education Acts made significant changes to the service only to have the changes swept away by the next government (see Chapter 5). This adversarial approach has wasted resources and challenges the notion of a democracy being a system where Parliament and Government work for all the people.
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    Re-engineering research, teaching and learning with digital technologies: how AAOU (Asian Association of Open Universities) members might collaborate for the benefit of teachers and learners in their societies
    (2013) Leask, Marilyn; O’ Meara, J.; Younie, Sarah; Jones, Sarah
    If universities are to be relevant In today’s digitally connected world, ways of working which may have been established centuries ago urgently need to be reviewed and new practices adopted. This is a challenge not just for Asian countries but for all countries. The OECD challenge to school-based educators to update ways of working in the following quote is just as relevant to university-based educators: “In modern knowledge-based economies, where the demand for high-level skills will continue to grow substantially, the task in many countries is to transform traditional models of schooling, which have been effective at distinguishing those who are more academically talented from those who are less so, into customised learning systems that identify and develop the talents of all students. This will require the creation of “knowledge-rich”, evidence-based education systems, in which school leaders and teachers act as a professional community with the authority to act, the necessary information to do so wisely, and the access to effective support systems to assist them in implementing change.” OECD 2009, p.13 This paper outlines examples of new and emerging practices from a range of disciplines and challenges academics and university managers to be proactive in adopting new ways of working so that the contribution of universities to the national good is clearly demonstrated. Those who are reactive and wait for change to be forced upon them run the risk of being found to be irrelevant by governments and by potential clients – research users, practitioners in every discipline and students. The focus of this paper is particularly on new opportunities for collaboration, for collaborative research and new forms of publishing and how new forms of accountability may be necessary to value and encourage collaboration. Questions are posed to facilitate the development of new ideas around the themes which are the focus of the AAOU conference.
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    Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools: A Handbook for Higher Level Teaching Assistants
    (Routledge, 2009) Younie, Sarah; Capel, S.; Leask, Marilyn
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    Teacher Experiences and Practices in the Time of COVID-19
    (BRILL, 2022-11-17) Gentles, Carol Hordatt; Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn; Caldwell, Helen
    The concept of quality in teaching and how to accomplish it is a contested notion. This is because it is stakeholder, time, and context relative (OECD,2005). Despite growing recognition of the value of including teachers’ voices in dialogue about quality teaching (EI, 2019), research suggests that in many jurisdictions, teachers’ ideas are still marginalized and excluded from the process. The experiences and practices of teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic have changed how we think about the work of teachers and the quality of what they are able to offer. This strengthens the view that teachers are capable and competent to lead in determining what quality in teaching is. This chapter considers this proposition by highlighting research (ICET/ MESH, 2020) that documented the experiences of 400 teachers in 40 countries during the pandemic. The project sought to open spaces for understanding what happened when schools closed, leaving 63 million secondary and primary level teachers in 165 countries (UNESCO, 2020) to participate in mitigating loss of learning for 1.5 billion students worldwide. Using group interviews, 20 researchers from across the globe facilitated opportunities for teachers to share their experiences, emerging pedagogies, and challenges due to COVID-19. They also shared their recommendations for the roles of teachers and education in the future. The report suggests that in transitioning to online delivery and other creative ways of reaching students, teachers demonstrated their capacity to be innovative and to take ownership of accelerating changes in how they think and work. It also showed their willingness to change their mindsets – when they deemed necessary- about developing skills, knowledge, and competences for ways of teaching previously considered too difficult or problematic to implement. The chapter argues that examining how and why teachers rose to this challenge has implications for new ways of thinking about what quality in teaching means. This is a development that should not be ignored.